| Your readers
judge you on the way you write. This applies whether you're writing advertising copy, a college or business report, a web site, or the next great novel; and it's these judgments that will determine the success or failure of your venture. For example, would you buy a book if you flipped through the pages and saw spelling errors? Probably not. Such errors would detract from the credibility of what was written. Similarly, the Internet is full of web sites offering to tell you how to write fantastic advertising copy that will triple your sales. The irony is that most of these sites look like they're written by an illiterate. You know the ones: spelling errors, poor grammar, ridiculous punctuation, and way too many exclamation marks. Good, solid writing skills are necessary whether you're
writing for business, college or fiction. In this article, I'm going to
look at a frequently misunderstood area: hyphens. |
Yes, it sounds
dull; I admit it. Wait, though, before being tempted to put this article
to one side, and test yourself with these real-world questions.
Q1. Why do many dictionaries list "infra-red" with a hyphen,
but "ultraviolet" without? If not, read on, and we'll cover some simple guidelines for using hyphens. (You'll also find the answers to the questions above.) |
SEVEN SIMPLE TIPS
|
Leave A Million Dollar Legacy: Be Your Own Banker!
Money you are already spending can make you rich, provide a stable income
over your whole lifetime, and still leave millions of dollars for your heirs.
Think about how much you are paying banks right now. They are charging you
as much as 12% interest to loan money to you. Then there are those obnoxious
$25 Overdraft Fees. Wouldn't that money feel better if it stayed in YOUR
pocket instead of theirs? |
| 5. Use a hyphen after a prefix in order to separate
a doubled vowel; e.g. pre-empt, de-emphasise. There are some exceptions,
though. Many modern dictionaries spell "cooperate" and "coordinate"
without hyphens.
6. We tend to hyphenate compound words only if they come before a noun, not after. For example, we write a "public-safety issue" with a hyphen, but "an issue of public safety" is written without one. 7. Use a hyphen after the prefix if the main word has a hyphen of its own; e.g. non-customer-focussed approach. |
Summmary: Armed with these simple guidelines, you'll soon be using hyphens
like an expert. Good luck! :-)the end
You'll find many more helpful tips like these in Tim North's Better Writing Skills web site. For example, you'll find free articles, a much applauded range of easy-to-read, jargon-free downloadable e-books that will make you a better writer. This handpicked selection of ebooks will help you with business proposal writing, report writing, term papers, technical writing, grant writing, creative writing and more. FREE SAMPLE CHAPTERS are available, and all books come with a money-back guarantee. http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
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Earl H. Roberts
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